BONUS: Pizza Prep at La Tagliatella Midtown

I liked this small group event. I arrived a bit early and this allowed Unilocalers to mingle some before the event. The venue was running a bit late but no biggie. I really liked learning about their pizza and getting advice on how various things could be combined. I didn’t follow their advice exactly, but still came up with some good combos. I also appreciated their help with the prep to make sure it was made properly for the oven. You could tell that the quality of their ingredients was great and I loved that it was beyong the typical pizza fare. Only four stars because I don’t like my pizza THAT thin. It was like a cracker. Just not my taste. The restaurant gave us coupons that we could use on a return visit– that was very nice of them.

A fantastic event put on by La Tagliatella. I learned so much about this première Madrid-​based Italian restaurant! The ambiance was modern and fancy, yet simple with a few tables laid out in the back room. I really appreciate the attention to detail in the clocks and Chris and Kristin did an awesome job of describing the pizza toppings.
I am normally not a big eggplant fan but I enjoyed trying it on the thin crust pizza. I also really loved the mushroom sauce, that topped with some veggies, turns out to be a great pizza! I would have never guessed. I’ll have to give this place another shot in the near future.
Thanks, Ben, for organizing this!

This was one of the best Unilocal Events I’ve been to so far! This is a restaurant I’ve passed in Midtown and always wanted to go to! The service was great along with the Manager who taught us lots of history regarding the establishment and it’s other locations in the US. It was different than other Unilocal events with a small group of Elites going to one of two sessions, 4pm or 6pm. I attended the 6pm session.
A make your own pizza event sounded good but this one really went above and beyond of my expectations. All the toppings of the pizza were explained individually to us by the servers, we were given a thin layer of dough, and then we were ready to start building! I sectioned my pizza into three parts with the three sauces below then added the following toppings:
Sauces:
Red tomato sauce
Mushroom sauce
Pesto sauce
Toppings:
Mozzarella cheese
Emmental cheese
Sauteed shrimp
Chorizo
Prosciutto
Ham
Roasted red peppers
Spinach
Mushrooms
Caramelized onions
Eggplant
Artichokes
Fresh tomato
Basil
Arugula
All of it fit on the pizza and came out cooked perfectly! Big shout out to Ben for being an amazing host and the La Tagliatella staff for being so accommodating and providing such an excellent event!

Props to Ben G., JJ and the staff at La Tagliatella Midtown for putting together such a fun and well organized event. It was a smaller and more intimate Unilocal event setting than the norm making for a very hands-​on /​unique Unilocal experience.
I too was quite impressed with La Tagliatella’s service /​preparation to our group. I felt they really went all out to make this a fun time for us but also a learning experience for them in gauging our input /​viewpoint of what they have to offer.
La Tag staff /​management went over and above the call of duty to make this a fantastic experience. They detailed the history of the restaurant and the business plan /​concept. This company is based /​mainly operates in Europe (Spain? Poland?) and they are marketing this restaurant concept to best fit the US market.
As of this writing the reviews on Unilocal are mixed; however, this company seems to be trying very hard to better provide product /​service to their customer base and also to improve product /​service to their market segment. This event, I feltwas an attempt to both generate a positive buzz and to also better understand the market segment.
La Tag provided drinks (beer and wine), salad and pizza. The salad (ceasar) was great and the beer wine selection was spot on (I opted for SweetWater 420). The pizza was the main focus; Each of us would customize our own pizza (topping-​wise) to fit our personal tastes. Everybody in the group took a shot at topping their own pizza with an impressive array of premium toppings laid out on a big long table.
I did not see a bad pizza from any member of my group. In fact they were all knockouts. Even the ones that I thought might be over the top (pre-​oven) came out of the oven looking like a million bucks. I did not get to sample other folks pizza creations, but the choices here were pretty damn good.
The pizza here is super thin crust — almost like Sardinian flat bread type crust. I made my pizza with red /​marinara sauce. 4 or five kinds of cheeses (mozzarella, emmental, gruyère, goat, buffalo mozz, and gorgonzola /​blue). I applied all sparingly. If I had to do again I would have left off the gorgonzola /​blue.
For other toppings I applied prosciutto, Spanish chorizo, cubes of thick cut bacon, sliced /​shaved eggplant, artichoke hearts, and some fresh tomato slices. The key, I felt, to adding all these many toppings was being minimalist /​sparing. Lots of flavors but not a heavy-​handed application.
My pizza turned out to be pretty good. I added some additional items after it came out of the oven, fresh arugala, fresh basil, some shaved dry aged cheese. My pizza was one of three that won an award (garnering a $ 25 gift certificate).
If I had to critique the toppings provided, my only complaint would be that I prefer my pizza topping shrimp to be smoked or grilled rather than boiled or sautéed. But I did not use the shrimp as a topping so it may have been okay in the way it was given.
Another minor complaint was regarding the bacon: It think it should be minced into smaller bits /​smaller cubes or thinly shaved like the chorizo or proscuitto. The end result was bacon that was perhaps a little to tough /​chewy.
But I would certainly love to come back and attempt another creation using other sauces /​toppings. I definitely enjoyed meeting some new folks as well as seeing /​conversing with some familiar faces. Great Event!

Wow, this was such a super, FUN event. I love that it was a small, intimate group setting so I really got a chance to meet some new Unilocalers while sipping on wine and making our very own pizzas.
It was so great learning about the history of the restaurant and what to expect from our lovely event from one of their managers, Kristen. Even better that we had our own private room and our servers that night were fantastic. A shout out to Chris and Jasmine who took great care of us and made sure we had a drink in our hand at all times.
Loved making our own pizzas. The ingredients were all fresh and unique. My ultimate favorite sauce was their mushroom tartufo. Who would’ve thought that fried eggplant and a drizzle of honey would go well as a pizza topping​as well!!!​My favorite «post-​bake» topping was La Tagliatell’s balsamic vinegrette sauce. I wasn’t sure if it was their own brand or from a vendor but it made a great addition to my already​tasty​pizza. The pizza crust was paper thin but surprisingly delicious! Coming from Chicago and loving «deep dish» anything, the crust was definitely a change but I couldn’t help but want more.​I can’t wait to return to this restaurant with friends in the near future to check out their freshly made pasta and enjoy other delicious menu items.
Huge thanks to Ben G. for this fantastic event! It was better than I ever expected and appreciated the efforts you and your team took to set up such an enjoyable and memorable event. Thanks to JJ G. for always greeting us and checking us in with a smile! That’s always appreciated as well. Looking forward to future Elite events and meeting new, fellow Elite Unilocalers this year!

This has to be one of the greatest Unilocal Elite events I have been to in a long time! Thanks Ben! The staff here was amazing. I like how small the group was and was able to meet some new Unilocal people. The manager of the restaurant was very friendly and explained the history of the restaurant.
I would write an extensive review but after reading all of my fellow Unilocalers, I can’t say it any better. If you want a good place to for pizza and italian, look no further!

MORE hands-​on Unilocal events please! In my two years as elite, this was definitely one of my favorite events.
Not only did we get to experience what a local restaurant had to offer, but we learned a great deal about the place’s history and branding (a real treat!) and even got to try our hand at creating something of our own from the fresh ingredients La Tagliatella had to offer.
It is clear that a lot of heart goes into the food and service here and I will definitely be adding it to my list… and not just because that mushroom sauce was TO DIE FOR!

As Ben noted, this was a little out of the «norm» for a Unilocal event which is why I loved it even more. It’s fun to mingle with the masses but this was a nice departure from that — a small, intimate setting for a very hands-​on experience.
I was very impressed with La Tagliatella’s service and preparation. They went over and beyond to make this a fantastic time. They detailed the history of the restaurant and business (who knew they were based in Spain!) and then discussed all of the top-​notch ingredients available for our pizza-​making. Everyone was given an apron, beer or wine (this wino approves the «house red») and a tasty caesar salad. We went up in groups to get our pizza crust that was so thinly rolled out on a paddle. This was probably the thinnest pizza crust I’ve ever had and I loved it. Mostly because you can get away with eating the whole damn pizza and not feel gross after. Or maybe that was just my excuse?
We were challenged to make the best looking pizza and/​or have the best name for our pizza since they would be judged by the panel (waiters/​chefs). We could choose from various sauces, cheeses, protein, veggies, and condiments for after the baking. I went with half/​half pesto sauce and the mushroom sauce as the base for my Surf & Earth pizza. Somehow, it won best looking. Thanks to the staff for the gift card, I will definitely be returning! I must say our group had some very creative names for their pies.
It was nice to meet Unilocalers I hadn’t met before (hi to ZewD, Sol and Peter!) and to talk more with Ben and JJ. More events like this please! A++ Ben-​G!
p. s. eggplant + balsamic + honey is surprisingly delicious on pizza but probably on its own as well.

This was the most intimate Unilocal Elite event I’ve been to yet and definitely one of the most hands-​on, activity-​based events. In that regard, it’s up there with Heidi’s painting event at Pinot’s Palette last October (
). We got to check out La Tagliatella’s new location in Midtown Atlanta, which we learned opened in December 2013 and is the restaurant chain’s first location in the U.S. The restaurant has a very cool build-​out and modern design with several traditional Italian elements. It’s both elegant and casual at the same time.
The back room was reserved for our small party. 12 Unilocalers to be exact, though there was enough seating for 15. There was a 4pm event and a 6pm event. I attended the earlier of the two.
We were given a special introduction by the manager and some of the servers. We learned a little bit about the history of the La Tagliatella brand/​business and the folks involved behind the scenes. The servers talked us through each of the pizza sauces and toppings.
The sauces and toppings were laid out on a series of long tables along the wall. The restaurant was very generous and did not skimp with this presentation. The spread was impressive. Here’s the rundown of what was available for us:
Sauces:
Red pizza sauce
Mushroom tartufo sauce
Pesto sauce
Cheeses:
Mozzarella
Goat cheese
Emmental
Buffalo mozzarella
Gruyère
Blue cheese crumbles
Meats:
Bacon
Sauteed shrimp
Chorizo
Prosciutto
Ham
Vegetables:
Roasted red peppers
Spinach
Mushrooms
Caramelized onions
Eggplant
Artichokes
Fresh tomato
Post-​baked toppings:
Parmigiano-​Reggiano cheese
Basil
Arugula
Crushed red pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Honey
Pizza dough was already pressed into nice circles for us on wooden pizza peels. We each took one peel and went down the line, creating our very own pizzas. I took the manager’s suggestion and created a pizza separated into three sections, each section using a different sauce and set of ingredients. Since I love to eat just about everything, I used every single topping listed above except for the shrimp (food allergy).
When we were done creating our pies, we took them to a counter near the kitchen and handed them over to the chefs. They baked the pizzas for us. I’m not sure what kind of ovens they use at La Tagliatella, but it felt like the pizzas were flash-​baked because they came out from the kitchen in no time. The pizzas were served on the same peels with a pizza wheel (pizza cutter) underneath. Neat!
Of course, we got to enjoy our thin-​crust creations. Some pizza trading and slice swapping went on. There was some friendly competition too. The servers and chefs judged our pizzas based on two categories: (1) best pizza as judged by the chefs and (2) pizza with the best name, judged by the servers. Yes, we had to name our pizzas. I named mine «Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael’s Favorite Food.» Congratulations to Michael and Robert for winning those categories, respectively. They each won $ 25 La Tagliatella gift cards, good at any location.
Along with our pizzas, also provided to us were side salads and beer, wine, cocktails (e.g. Bellinis) and soft drinks. As usual, since this was a Unilocal Elite event, everything was on the house.
Service was phenomenal. For the pizza we were unable to finish, management gave us take-​home boxes. Sweet.
A big thank you to La Tagliatella Atlanta Midtown for their generosity and hospitality. It sounds cliché, but I feel they went above and beyond for our group. Additionally, thank you, as always, to Ben for making this fun event happen and to JJ for her continued assistance and support. I had an excellent time!

«I don’t feel like I need a justification for pizza… or drinking!” — JJ
This was a lovely experience!
I love how the myriad of toppings was organized, along with the pizza making tips we got before we embarked on our journey. The salad was excellent, and the premium ingredients, cracker-​thin crust, and a peach bellini made me feel so sexy inside lol.
Special thanks to the La Tagliatella crew for being so sweet and accomodating, and to the Unilocal family for putting together such an awesome event.

This was a great event! Making the pizzas was a very fun experience and the staff of La Tagliatella was stellar in making sure that we had everything we needed to have a wonderful time! The endless choices of toppings to make your personal pizza masterpiece was true genius from start to end. The wine and beer was also well welcomed! Met a few more cool Unilocalers that I hadn’t met before and look forward to more awesome events like this! The décor at this place is NIIIIICE also!